Horse Tacking Up Problems

 Horse Tack Triggers

Most people never consider how the horse responds to just the sight of tack or notice if there are Quality interactions while tacking up.

Each part of the interaction on the ground influences the horse's reasonableness and physical softness that follows during the ride.

While the norm (often out of human convenience) is to tie the horse while tacking, the degree of bother or concern a horse may have is frequently suppressed.

I suggest practicing tacking the horse without tying him. The goal is not about getting tack on but a time for assessment. 

It is an Opportunity for observing what in your behaviors and during the act of tacking up indicates potential anticipation, defensiveness, avoidance, etc., in the horse.

It allows you to observe for things such as:

Does he mentally check out, becoming fixated elsewhere as you go to groom?

Does he pin his ears, shake his head, swish is tail, or display any other defensive behavior as you groom?

Does he brace or lean against you as you attempt to clean a hoof?

Does he step away or backwards when you walk toward  him with or swing the pad on?

Does he step backwards or move his head towards you to "block" your access to putting the pad on?

Does he constantly avoid your activity during the tacking by diving down for grass?

When you reach under his barrel to pick up the cich the girth, does he shake his head? Bite the air or pin his ears despite nothing actually touching the underside of him?

When you tighten the cinch or girth does he swing his head at you, try to walk off, back away, swish his tail, etc.?

Does he act differently if you swing the saddle on from one side versus another?

If you change the location of where your horse is as you tack up, does he act differently?

None of this is about focusing on the potential unwanted symptomatic equine behaviors. Instead, the undesired responses are often indicators as to potential pain issues, holes in the foundation of the equine partnership, reflection of concern towards the upcoming ride, etc.

If the ride is prefaced with an experience (in this case tacking up) causing the horse to be in a state of anticipation, defensiveness, avoidance, flee, etc. how might that influence his availability to participate and his responses during the ride?

There is never a convenient time to slow down and address the horse's concerns, but the longer you avoid helping him, the more he is being taught to be defensive of human behavior. This will cause his initial "manageable" responses to evolve in more severe actions and for him to take over/impose/avoid in dictating how the interaction will occur based on what his previous experiences have taught him about human interaction.

The horse only has so many subtle, reasonable behaviors to display his fear, concern, or anticipation. If you're not addressing it now, then when?